


Handle With Care

by Fishyz9



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 04:38:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/922084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishyz9/pseuds/Fishyz9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will does not handle his daughter going out on her first date very well. Luckily for both Will and Arianna, Sonny is there to play referee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Handle With Care

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sitting on another, longer fic right now, but I’m not sure I like it. Angst doesn’t come as naturally to me as romance. So I did this thingy instead.

** Handle With Care. **

 

The Overprotective Dad

“Will.”

“What?”

“Get away from the window.”

“No.”

I sigh and walk over to where he’s standing at the window, peeking through the curtains. I rest my chin on his shoulder and wind my arms around his waist. “Ever heard of that saying: a watched pot―”

“I should never have let her go.”

I give him a gentle squeeze. “Will, come on…”

“What the hell was I thinking? She’s _fifteen_ , that’s far too young to go on a date.”

I try not to smile and instead press my lips against his shoulder and his neck. “You know that I love how protective you are, but you need to chill with this.”

He turns in my arms, and I nearly laugh out loud at how genuinely worried he is. “She’s our little girl, Sonny. What if he tries to take advantage of her?”

“He seemed like an okay kid.”

He turns back to the window, peeking through the curtain again. “He barely said two words. No doubt he was too busy mentally undressing our daughter. I can’t believe Gabi gave her permission without talking to us first.”

I can’t help but agree to that. “Maybe, but it’s done. Don’t ruin something special for her, okay?”

“She’s too young.”

“She’s not that much younger than you were when we went on our first date.”

He turns around and points a finger at me. I poke my tongue out at him because I’m super mature like that.

“Hey, I was eighteen―an _adult_ when we first went out. And put that thing away.”

“Exactly, you were eighteen, and at eighteen do you remember how very vanilla and sweet and innocent our dates were when we first starting going out?”

“That’s because I was dating Sonny Kiriakis: sweetest, most considerate guy ever. I’m pretty sure this kid is a future murderer.”

I lean my hip against the desk so that I can watch my overprotective, neurotic partner stare out of the window. “And what makes you say that?”

“I didn’t like his handshake.”

“Well hell, let’s call the cops.”

“Stop it. Be on my side.”

“As opposed to…?”

“Anyone else’s, obviously.”

“Usually that goes without saying, but on this occasion I’m going to need you to reel in the crazy, Horton.”

 “This isn’t crazy. You’ll _see_ crazy if he hurts my kid.”

“Okay,” I walk up behind him and place my hands on his shoulders, edging him away from the window. “Come on now, back it up a little.”

He sighs and allows me to pull him away, and I’m just about to pull him into my arms when something behind me catches his eye.

“ _Ten thirty_ _five_?”

I glance behind me at our grandfather clock, and by the time I turn back to look at Will, he’s already reattached himself to the window. Only this time he’s not even trying to be discreet, he’s whipped the curtain out of the way and he’s staring― _glaring_ ― down our drive. “They’re late!”

“Will, sweetheart, it’s only five minutes.”

“Yep, five minutes too long.”

“I am not going to let you be this person. For Ari’s sake I am not going to let you turn into the freaky obsessive type of father who―”

“Oh it is too late for that my friend. That ship has _sailed_!”

I cover my face with my hands. “Oh God.”

“She is so grounded.”

“No. She is not.”

“Yes, she is. She broke curfew, therefore I am grounding her.”

“Well, as her third caregiver, secondary father figure type of person I hereby overrule your sentencing and say she isn’t.”

He glares at me. “Fine, she isn’t grounded. But the next time she decides to go on a date I’m going with her.”

“Over my dead body! I refuse to let you be that weird!”

“You say weird, I say strict. I’m not going to let some snot-nosed little―” something makes him pause, and I see his whole body tense up. “There they are!”

I look over his shoulder and see Arianna walking down our drive, hand in hand with her date. “Well there you go, they’re back, so you can stop it with heart palpitations now, okay?”

“I’m watching you kid” he mutters.

To my horror, I realize that he has no intention of stepping away from the window. “ _Will_!” He ignores me so I tug on his arm. “Get away from the window. _Now_.”

He tries to shake off my grip. “Just let him just _try_ to lay a hand on my baby girl with me standing right here. Let him _try_.”

“That’s it.” I wrap both arms around his waist and attempt to physically drag him away. “You are not ruining her first date, I won’t let you.”

“Let go!”

“No!” I grunt, trying to pry him away from where he’s clutching onto to the desk and reaching for the curtains. “Goddammit Will!”

“I said let go! Let. _Go_! Sonny, get your freakin hands off of me!”

“William Robert Horton, I am going to force you to be a normal human being for the next five minutes if it kills me!”

And then it’s on.

Despite the fact that I am just a little bit bigger than Will, he’s pretty much all muscle so it’s no easy feat to wrestle him away from the window. “Quit wriggling!”

“Get off of me and I’ll stop wriggling!”

“You are so going to get it later, Will. I swear to god.”

“Flirt all you want,” he grunts. “But I’m still going to kick the kid’s ass if he makes a move on Arianna.”

He makes a lunge for the window, and then the very worst case scenario happens. Not only does he grip the curtain―ripping it off its hooks and pulling the rail from the wall, but the rail actually smashes into the desk, sending the lamp flying. There’s a brief flash when the bulb smashes, and then suddenly we’re both on the floor in a heap. When we look up, Arianna is standing in the doorway with her very confused looking date standing behind her.

“Hi, sweet pea” I say breathlessly, nudging Will off of me so we can stand.

“Sonny, what’s going on?” She asks, looking between the two of us.

I straighten my shirt and look at Will who clearly isn’t bothering to do the same, and has instead elected to glare at the young man by Arianna’s side. “We uh…”I pick up the torn curtain and begin to fold. “We were just doing a little redecorating, that’s all. How was the movie, good?”

“You’re late.” Will bites out.

Arianna’s cheeks are flushed with what I guess is a mixture of anger and mortification. “Were you watching through the window?”  She asks, narrowing her lovely blue eyes.

“You have a curfew for a reason, young lady.”

She covers her face with her hands―a habit I like to think that she’s picked up from me. “Oh my god. Dad, could you be any more embarrassing right now?”

“Could you be any more _grounded_ right now?” He retorts, stepping forwards, but I clasp his hand, pulling him back by my side.

“ _What_?”

“You broke curfew, you’re grounded.”

“No, she’s not.” I remind him, squeezing his hand.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this!”

“It was nice meeting you…Steven, Phillip, David…” he says, looking at Arianna’s date and not even trying to get the boy’s name right.

“Adam.” They boy supplies.

“Right, Adam. It’s time to call it a night. Bye bye now.”

“ _Dad_!” Arianna hisses, mortified.

I turn my chin slightly and whisper into his ear. “What did we say about you being normal?”

Adam smirks slightly, and I have to admit, I don’t like it. He kisses Arianna on the cheek―which I like even less―but worse than that, Will’s hand automatically tightens around mine and I wince when my freakin wedding ring cuts into my finger.

“I’ll see you at school.” He says to Arianna before turning to us and saying good night, polite as anything, and then leaves.

It takes three seconds for the yelling to begin. I try my best to play referee, but they’re both too angry and too stubborn to listen. Eventually I settle for cleaning up the mess by the window, and only look up when I hear Ari’s bedroom door slam shut.

Will’s standing in the middle of the living room with his hands on his hips, staring at where Arianna made her exit only seconds ago. When he turns to me all I can do is sigh, and mimic his stance.

“So,” I say. “That went well.”

 

The Kicked Puppy

The smell of pancakes pulls me from sleep. I crack an eye open, see the empty space beside me and stretch. On the one hand…where are my morning cuddles? On the other….pancakes.

I pull on some sweats and snag up a t-shirt from our bedroom floor, remembering with a grin our hushed lovemaking from the night before. While I hate to see Will down in the dumps for any reason, let alone because his daughter is giving him the silent treatment, I have to admit that a small, selfish part of me loves taking care of him.

I pad into the kitchen to see Will, already dressed, wearing his ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron and flipping pancakes. The kitchen table is set for three, there are muffins set out on small saucers, and the biggest bouquet of daisies―Arianna’s favorites― I’ve ever seen are sat in a vase in the middle of the table.

Someone’s getting desperate for his little girl to love him again.

I walk up behind him, wrap myself around him, and press a few lingering kisses against his neck. “Morning, beautiful.” I murmur.

He turns his head and catches my lips in a kiss. “Morning.”

“You went out this morning?”

“We were out of batter.”

“This smells great, she loves your pancakes.”

“I made enough for everyone.”

“But the star shaped ones are for Ari.” I say, smiling against his shoulder.

Will Horton has many talents. One of them is being able to make pancakes in absolutely any shape. It’s one of the many, many things that I love about him.

“The heart shaped ones are yours” he says, nodding over to a plate set on the counter.

I wind my arms around his waist a little tighter and press myself against his behind in a brief reminder of last night. “Thank you, baby.”

I take my plate to the table and sit. I’m about to stand again to fetch the syrup when Will’s arm stretches over my shoulder and places the little bear-shaped jug next to my hand.  I look at him, and I swear, the little wink he gives me makes me want to drag him right back to bed.

However, Arianna’s appearance puts a quick halt to the more naughty thoughts running through my mind, and we both greet her. “Morning, sweet pea.” I say, and she looks at me and gives me that little smile of hers that is just for me.

“Hey.”

She sets down her duffle bag and walks over to the fridge, pulling out two bottle of water and then packs them in her bag.

“Morning, honey.” Will says, standing there, completely gorgeous and adorable, holding two plates―one with star shaped pancakes and the other normal.

She says nothing. In fact she doesn’t even look at him.

“Ari,” I say softly, lifting a pointed eyebrow at her.

“Are you hungry?” Will says. “I made your favorite.”

She glances at the bouquet in the middle of the table, bites her lip, but then sets her shoulders and checks through her bag. “I’m not hungry, and I’m late, anyway.”

“Where are you going so early?” He asks, and it annoys me that I have to repeat his question to get an answer from her.

“Arianna Grace, where are you going?” I say with a hint of chastisement to my voice.

“I’m going to the lake with some friends. Jenny said she’d make sandwiches for us all, so don’t worry.”

“Ari…” Will begins, and I can tell his patience is wearing thin. “It’s our weekend with you, I made plans.”

She shrugs, continuing to rifle through her duffle bag. “Unmake them.”

“Hey,” I frown at her, and when she looks at me, I simply shake my head no.

She drops her gaze, and I wonder absently at what point I became the stern parent.

“I have to go.” She says quietly, and slings the duffle bag over one shoulder.

She heads towards the door and Will takes two steps after her, still holding the plates. “Do you need any money?” He calls after her, but she closes the door behind her without a word.

He stands there for a moment, staring at the closed door, and when he turns to place the star shaped pancakes back on the kitchen counter I can see the hurt in his eyes all too clearly. He carries his own plate to the table and sits, joining me.

“I guess we’ll go bowling another time” he says quietly, reaching for the syrup.

My hand closes over his, and he looks up at me.

“She’ll get over it.”

 “Yeah?” He whispers.

“She’s a teenage girl and you embarrassed her, this is the appropriate―albeit irritating―reaction, but she _will_ get over it.”

“I hope so. I’m not sure how many more times I can say I’m sorry.”

“No, you’ve apologized enough. You just need to wait for her to actually hear it.”

He sighs, and his shoulders slump. I squeeze his hand, and then I notice something over his shoulder. I notice a second vase of flowers, red roses this time.

“And you don’t need to buy her any more flowers,” I say with a chuckle. When he looks at me I lift my chin in the direction of the coffee table in the living room, at the vase of roses.

He looks over his shoulder, and then back at me. “Oh, those were for you.”

He is so _that_ guy. He’s the guy that does a million small, thoughtful things that add up to sixteen years of love.

I stand, pulling him out of his seat with a gentle tug of his hand. “Come here.”

“What?” he says with a soft smile. “They’re just flowers.”

I pull him into a deep kiss, and then nuzzle my nose against his. “No, they’re not.” I murmur.

I take his hand, and lead him back into the bedroom.

 

The Family Man

It’s the strangest déjà vu, being at the lake. It’s been a while since I’ve been down here, but it will always remind me of when I was younger and when I first got to know Will. Now I’m the adult, and there are kids Ari’s age and slightly older playing volley ball and lounging on blankets, just like how me, Will, Gabi, Chad―I still miss him―and Abby used to. I make a mental note to bring Will back down here when it’s less busy.

It doesn’t take me long to find her. It’s actually Jenny that spots me and waves before nudging Arianna. Arianna looks back at me, frowns, stands and then jogs over.

“Hey, what’s going on? Everything okay?”

“Yes, honey, everything’s fine. I just needed to talk to you.”

She frowns at me suspiciously. “It can’t wait until I’m home?”

“I want to talk about your dad.”

She sighs and shuffles her feet. “Come on, Sonny.”

“Hey,” I say softly, tipping her chin up to look at me. “You’ve been mad long enough, okay?”

“He was a jerk, he humiliated me.”

“He was not a jerk, he was just…the Brady side of his brain took over for a few minutes, that’s all.”

She gives me a withering look. “Grandma’s not _that_ bad.”

“She’s mellowed, but trust me, back in the day?” I arch an eyebrow and whistle.

She presses her lips together in an effort to not smile―she looks _exactly_ like Gabi when she does that―and I love that I’ve always been able to make her giggle.

“Sweetie, I don’t think you quite understand just how much your dad loves you.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Of course I know.”

“No. No, honey. You are the _brightest_ star in his sky. He loves you beyond all measure, he really does. So when he heard that his little girl was going on her first date, he…”

She crosses her arm. “Went insane?”

“He got a little scared.”

“Why would he be _scared_?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. He doesn’t want you to get hurt? He’s not ready for you to love another man more than you love him? You pick.”

“But that’s so silly.”

“Maybe, but that’s just what comes with being a parent. You’ll find out one day yourself.”

She bites her lip, dropping her gaze to the ground as the tip of her flip-flop traces a pattern in the grass. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life, Sonny. Adam told his friends and they all made fun of me.”

I frown. “I think that’s more of a reflection of Adam, than your father.”

She gives me a gentle shove to the arm, just playful. “Don’t be like dad.”

“Your dad’s a good guy.”

She blinks at me. “He ripped the curtain rail off the wall and broke a lamp.”

I try not to smile. “True, but you’ve punished him enough.”

“I’m not so sure.”

I tip her chin up again. “Ari, you are hurting him.”

“What?” She says quietly.

“Every time you refuse to look to him, or won’t speak to him…he worries that you’re taking your love away from him.”

Big blue eyes fill with sadness. “But that’s ridiculous” she says softly. “How could he possibly…how he can be that insecure?”

I can’t help it; I let out a small, surprised laugh, but then quickly smother it behind my fist. “That’s…that’s a whole other story.”

Her brow creases as she frowns and I pull her into a quick hug. “Look, it’s okay that you’re angry, he did embarrass you, but look at it this way: when you were little you used to scream in the middle of the night, you vomited all over the both of us, and we _still_ decided to keep you.”

She laughs and pushes me away, slapping my arm.

“Okay, okay. Being serious? Just let him off the hook, okay? I’m not saying don’t pretend it didn’t happen, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s _nothing_. He’s got a big heart and your name is all over it, sweetheart. You have to handle that kind of thing with care.” I brush her hair behind her ear. “He can’t live without his little girl’s smile, Ari.”

Some may call it emotional blackmail, others may call it parenting, but she visibly melts in front of me. She nods her head.

“Okay,” she says softly. “I’ll dial it back.”

“That’s my girl.”

She lets out a deep breath. “Should I come home? I know…I know he said something about bowling…”

“No, you stay and hang out with your friends, it’s fine. But be home for supper, please.”

“Okay, I‘ll see you at home.” She tip toes and kisses my cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you.”

She begins to walk away, but then turns, walking backwards as she calls to me. “Hey, Sonny?”

“Yeah?”

“If I’m the stars, you’re his sun.” She turns back around and walks over to where her friends are sitting.

I watch her for a moment longer, and then I look a little father over towards the volleyball net where a few kids are playing, and a few others are standing there, staring. Adam is one of the few staring. I figure he doesn’t have the best impression of Will and me, so I raise my hand in a brief wave. He looks me up and down, and then goes back to his game.

Okay, buddy. You are officially on my radar.

I drop by the coffee house to make sure all is running smoothly, and then I head home to help Will with dinner. I love weekends. I love just doing the laundry and sleeping in and hanging out with Will. I’m psyched about our upcoming trip to Nepal, especially seeing as Gabi and Arianna are coming with us for the first few days, but just lately I’ve become somewhat of a home-bot. 

When I get home Will’s laying on the sofa, reading a book. I can tell from the smell coming from the kitchen that Will’s cooking his lemon chicken casserole―score―and I ask if there’s anything else that needs doing. He shakes his head, and shifts on the sofa when I lift his arm and lay next to him.

He reads his book, and I flick through the channels with the volume on low. This is how I wish I could spend every Sunday afternoon. Eventually the timer on the oven goes off, and when I get up to check on supper Will stops me with a hand to my shoulder, and then dog-ears the page of his book.

“I got it.”

“Sure?”

“Yep. You want to get the plates though?”

“You got it.”

Will’s stirring his casserole and I’m setting the table when we hear the front door open. A few seconds later Arianna appears by the kitchen doorway. She sets her duffle bag down, looking between us.

“Hey.”

“Hi, sweet pea. Did you have fun at the lake?”

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Sure.”

For some reason I find something odd about her response, but I don’t question her right then because she’s looking at Will with a distinctively thoughtful expression.

Will clears his throat and looks over his shoulder at her. “Supper will ready in a few minutes, you want to get cleaned up?”

It saddens me that he’s forcing himself to give his daughter space, but this is the sort of situation that has to resolve itself. She nods, and he turns back to his lemon chicken. I expect her to head straight to her room, but instead she walks over to the kitchen table. She doesn’t look at me, however. Instead she leans on the table with one hand, and reaches out with the other to touch the petals of the daisies. She looks at her dad again, and then walks over to him.

“Dad?”

Will turns around, surprised that she’s still there, but before he can even speak she just walks straight into his arms, wrapping herself around his middle and resting her cheek against his chest.

“I love you, dad.”

His arms automatically close around her and the look he shoots me is a mixture of surprise, fatherly pride, and utter relief. “I love you too, honey. _So_ much.”

She stays in his arms but looks up at him, and god, I wish I had a camera now.

“Do you think that after supper we could still go bowling?”

A smile that is brighter than the sun splits across his face. “We sure can.”

“Cool.” She reaches up and presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’m going to go clean up a little.”

He watches her walk away, confused, but happy. “Okay.”

He looks at me, and I shrug as if I have no idea what brought about her sudden change in mood. Will laughs softly and mimics my shrug. “I think we’re back on track finally.” He says quietly.

“I guess so.” I smile at him.

He turns around, going back to his casserole, but I don’t need to see his face to know that he’s smiling. I spot Ari’s duffle bag by the doorway. “I’m just going to take Ari’s bag up to her.”

“Okay.”

I snag up her bag and head up the stairs. I knock on her door and wait for her to tell me to come in before I open the door. She’s sitting on the bed.

“Hey,” I lift her bag. “Your duffle bag.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks.”

I set it down by the door, and then I slip both of my hands into my pockets and lean against the doorjamb. “Are you going to tell me what happened at the lake?”

Her head snaps up, and she looks at me almost guiltily. “What do you mean?”

I arch an eyebrow and give her a knowing look. Her shoulders slump when it dawns on her she’s busted.

“Come on, tell me.”

“I kind of got into an argument with someone.”

“Okay, was it with one of the girls? Was it with Jenny?”

“It was with Adam.”

I push away from the doorway and take a step into her bedroom. “Oh really?”

She nods her head. “He kind of said some stuff that I didn’t like, so I yelled at him, and then he said some more stuff, and…”

I frown at her, though I have a sinking feeling that I already know the answer to my question. “What kind of stuff was he saying?”

She looks at me, bites her lip and pins her hands between her knees. “Homophobic stuff” she admits quietly.

Bingo.

I nod my head, and then take a seat next to her. “Are you okay?”

She nods her head, but there’s a sadness about her that no fifteen year old should possess. She is just like her father; she is an old soul.

“Honey?” I say quietly, and brush her hair away from her shoulder. “I’m so sorry that you have to deal with that.”

She immediately shakes her head. “No,” she says steadily, looking at me. “You and dad are the only people in this equation that never have to apologize, okay?”

I tilt my head, touched by her words. “Ari…”

“No.” She repeats, firmly this time. “Promise me that is the last time you ever apologize for this type of thing again.”

Honestly? I’m blown away by her maturity. “Okay,” I whisper, and then kiss her temple. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Can it stay between us?”

I give her the look that says I’m not happy with that idea. We found our groove as a family a long time ago, and it’s pretty much established that I am a third parent, but as the secondary father figure I never keep anything from Will out of respect. “ _Ari_ …”

“Please? You said so yourself, I have to handle a person’s heart with care, and if I tell dad this I’m afraid he’s going to go after Adam with the curtain rail.”

I can’t help but laugh, and I decide to break my rule just this once, for Ari’s sake. “Okay, tell me what happened.”

She bites her lip. “Well, after you left some of the guys were just…I don’t know, they kept looking at me weird…”

I clench my jaw in frustration. When, for the love of god, would homophobia finally die out? Why does my kid have to deal with this?

“Hey,” she nudges me in the side. “Stop that.”

“Sorry, go ahead.”

“So I went over there to talk to Adam, and it was like he was embarrassed to be standing next to me. And then one of the guys asked if you were the one that threw a lamp at him―at Adam, and I asked Adam what exactly he’d been saying about my family, and…”

She breaks off and swallows hard. I rub her back soothingly. “It’s okay.”

“He said the most horrible thing.”

“What?”

“He said that what we have isn’t a family.”

I could murder the little fucker. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so―”

“ _Don’t_.” She orders me, and I snap my mouth shut.

“And then all of them just starting saying this…this _ugly_ stuff about dad. Like…graphic, inappropriate stuff. All about dad, because I guess he’s the one that was kind of rude to Adam, but…”

“I can talk to his parents, just to make them aware of what an arrogant piece of work their son is…”

“No.” she shakes her head. “I get the impression that this is something he may have learned from them, he’s close with his folks.”

“Well, _I_ could always go after him with a curtain rail.”

She actually laughs quietly, and nudges me in the side again. “No.”

She’s quiet for a few moments, and I can tell she’s mulling over something, so I just sit there and let her think.

“Who is he to say what a family is?” She frowns. “I mean…what an _idiot_. You know, he actually said that I should have warned him.”

“You didn’t tell him you father is married to another man?”

She shrugs, genuinely bewildered. “It didn’t even occur to me. I mean…he doesn’t need to be warned about my mom having a boyfriend, why the hell does he needs to know that I have two dads?”

“Oh my god,” I say quietly, shaking my head.

“What?”

“You are just the coolest kid ever. I can’t...I can’t _even_ …”

She smiles at me. “Well I’m not going to argue with you there.”

“I mean it, Ari. I love, love, _love_ that I get to say that you’re my kid. You are just _that_ incredible.”

Her smile widens. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Can you remember that the next time I piss you off?”

“Deal.”

She laughs, and then she sighs. “What a day.”

I nod my head. “What a day.”

“I feel kind of crappy for the way I treated dad.”

I shake my head. “Don’t. He’s down there on cloud nine because you hugged him.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

She looks at me with a sappy smile. “My dad is adorable.”

I chuckle, and hug her close. “Yes he is.”

“You’re kind of cute too, you know.”

“This is something I’m aware of.”

She laughs again. “I feel better now, thanks.”

“Any freakin’ time, hear me? You can talk to me or your dad about absolutely anything.”

She gives me a nervous look, and bites her lip. “Can I talk to you about the fact that I may have possibly but most definitely kneed Adam in the groin today?”

I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face with my hands. “Just when I couldn’t love you any more you go and say something magical like that!”

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad? I’m raising your allowance.”

She snorts and then laughs. “I guess the _Brady_ side of my brain took over for a few minutes.”

I pull her close and then drop a kiss on top of her head. “I love you.”

“I know. Apparently I’m awesome.”

“And a smartass like your father.”

“That’s a compliment if ever I heard one.”

“Guys?” Will calls from the bottom of the stairs. “Supper’s ready!”

“On our way!” I call back, and ruffle her hair as I stand.

She slaps my hand away and flattens her hair out. “Jerk,” she mutters, but she’s grinning.

I wink at her. “Hurry up and get cleaned up, we’ll have supper and then go bowling so you can kick both of our butts.”

“It’s not hard, trust me.”

“See?” I say. “Smartass.”

I leave her to get cleaned up and head downstairs. Will’s pouring water from a jug into three glasses, and flashes me a bright smile. “Everything okay up there? You were a while.”

I pull him in to my arms and kiss him long and hard. When I let go of him he does that adorable thing where he blinks rapidly, as if he needs a second to clear the stars from behind his eyelids.

“Easy, tiger.” He laughs, and then nudges me towards my chair at the table.

I take a seat, waiting for my daughter to come downstairs, and watching as my husband dishes up supper for the three of us. I never expected to, but I slid into the role of the family man almost instantly, and I regret absolutely nothing. 


End file.
